In a conventional elevator apparatus, since a hoisting machine, a control panel and the like are installed in a machine room disposed at an upper portion of a hoistway, it is necessary to provide a space for the machine room at an uppermost portion of a building. Therefore, the utility efficiency of the building is degraded and the height of the building is increased.
In contrast, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-10434 discloses an elevator apparatus in which a hoisting machine and a control panel are disposed in an uppermost portion of a hoistway to thereby dispense with a machine room. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-10437 discloses an elevator apparatus in which a hoisting machine and a control panel are disposed in a bottom portion of a hoistway to thereby dispense with a machine room. However, in these elevator apparatuses, although the machine room may be dispensed with, it is possible that the height of the hoistway or the horizontal cross-sectional area of the hoistway may be increased.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-114481 discloses an elevator apparatus in which a control panel is disposed in a bottom portion of a hoistway. However, in this apparatus, in order to prevent the car from interfering with the control panel, a depression is formed on the bottom portion of the car. For this reason, the floor area of the car is decreased.